A wildfire raging at the edge of Yosemite National Park is threatening power lines that provide electricity to San Francisco, prompting California Governor Jerry Brown to declare a state of emergency.
The fire has damaged the electrical infrastructure serving the city, and forced the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission to shut down power lines, the governor said in his declaration.
There were no reports of blackouts in the city, which is about 320km west of the park.
The wildfire swept further into Yosemite National Park on Friday, remaining largely unchecked as it threatened one of the country’s major tourist destinations.
The so-called Rim Fire, which started last week in the Stanislaus National Forest, had blackened 11,000 acres at the northeastern corner of Yosemite as of Friday afternoon after exploding in size overnight, park spokeswoman Kari Cobb said.
The blaze burning in the western Sierra Nevada Mountains is now the fastest-moving of 50 large wildfires raging across the drought-parched US west that have strained resources and prompted fire managers to open talks with Pentagon commanders and Canadian officials about possible reinforcements.
The reservoir provides water to 2.6 million customers in the San Francisco area. Should the blaze affect the reservoir, the city’s water supply could be affected, Brown said in his declaration.
